Locking means for crushers



Sept. 7, 1965 H. H. RUMPEL' LOCKING MEANS FOR CRUSHERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 8, 1962 sh @Q NW Wm WM INVENTOR. Alva/Ev Al wmsz made/92m ATTE/VEY) Sept. 7, 1965 H. H. RUMPEL.

LOCKING MEANS FOR CRUSHERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2- Filed Aug. 8, 1962 BY Mmxm Sept. 7, 1965 RUMPEL 3,204,883

LOCKING MEANS FOR CRUSHERS Filed Aug. 8, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Z5 Z4 Z5 F INVENTOR.

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Sept. 7, 1965 H. H. RUMPEL 3,

LOCKING MEANS FOR CRUSHERS Filed Aug. 8, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 a" Q 79 w INVENTOR Z:L'g' 7 flag/724 H/MPA-L BY WW8 mew.

Arrae/vE v) United States Patent 3,204,883 LOOKING MEANS FOR CRUSHERS Harvey H. Rumpel, Sullivan, Wis., assiguor to Barber- Greene Company, Aurora, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Aug. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 215,722 Claims. (Cl. 241--286) The present invention relates generally to improvements in rock and ore crushers, and relates more particularly to improvements in a method of and mechanism for effecting relative adjustments between the crushing members of gyratory crushers and for locking the members in adjusted condition.

Gyratory crushers of the type having a gyrating crushing head cooperable with a normally fixed crushing concave for reducing the size of rock and ore are well known and widely used in the art. As wear occurs on the crushing surfaces or when it is desired to change the size of the product being reduced by such crushers, it becomes necessary to effect relative adjustments of the crushing members in order to maintain or vary the magnitude of the discharge opening between such members as desired. It is therefore important that provision be made in such crushers for effecting relatively frequent and accurate adjustments between crushing members in the most efficient and rapid manner, and it is equally important that means be provided for positively holding or locking the parts in such adjusted positions.

As shown and described in my prior United States Patent No. 1,993,900, dated March 12, 1935, it has been heretofore proposed to mount the crushing bowl or concave on an internally threaded adjusting ring rotatable about an annular series of wedge segments having external screw threads cooperable with the internal threads of the adjusting ring and having wedge surfaces engaging a frusto conical surface formed on the main crusher frame, the wedges being shiftable along the tapered surface of the frame by means of individual jack screws to clamp the screw threads together after effecting adjustment of the concave by rotation of the adjustment ring. While the results obtained by such former and well-known method of adjusting the crushing con-cave and locking the same in adjusted position were completely satisfactory, it was necessary to manually manipulate numerous sets of adjusting and locking screws and nuts with utmost care and somewhat special equipment in order to insure uniform adjustment and final clamping, thus resulting in undesirable loss of time and labor.

In an effort to eliminate the need for effecting time consuming independent manual adjustments of the several jack screws, I proposed the use of fluid pressure actuated means operable from a common source for clamping the adjusting screw threads in adjusted position, such means being shown and described in my United States Patent No. 2,687,257. While the fiuid pressure actuated means for clamping or locking the crusher bowl adjustment threads in adjusted position as proposed in Patent No. 2,687,257 and others has proven quite satisfactory in reducing the time and man power required for effecting relative adjustments of the crushing members, the clamping or locking action in such devices is entirely dependent upon maintenance of the fluid pressure, and any leak in the fluid pressure line after proper adjustment has been made can result in loss of the holding power of the locksaid disadvantages and objections attendant prior known devices intended for like purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for rapidly, accurately and effectively adjusting the crushing concave or bowl of a gyratory crusher and for positively locking and maintaining the same in its adjusted condition.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide improved instrumentalities for rapidly effecting initial adjustment and locking of the crushing members of a gyratory crusher by fluid pressure and for thereafter positively holding the members in adjusted condition with the aid of a mechanical locking means.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the improvements constituting the present invention and of the construction and operation of several typical gyratory crushers provided with adjustment and locking mechanisms embodying the invention may be had by referring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

FIG. 1 is a part sectional side elevation of a gyratory crusher of the type wherein the typical concave adjustment and locking mechanism constituting my invention is located above the concave and the adjusting ring, the section being taken vertically through parts of the adjusting mechanism and crushing zone;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat similar part sectional side elevation of another type of gyratory crusher wherein a typical concave adjusting and locking device embodying the features of the present invention is located below the-concave and coacts with segmental locking wedges;

FIG. 3 is a somewhat enlarged fragmentary part sectional side view of an adjusting and locking mechanism of the same general type shown in FIG. 1 but modified to the extent that a somewhat different type of force applying means is utilized;

. FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a similarly enlarged fragmentary and part sectional view of an adjusting and locking mechanism of the general type of FIG. 1 but further modified to show a pull type ram applying force through one of several annularly spaced locking bars instead of through a continuous clamping or locking ring as in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4; a

FIG. 6 is a section taken along the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary and part sectional side view of one of the same general type shown in FIG. 2 but modified to show the push type ram or jack applying its force through one of several annularly spaced locking or clamping bars rather than through a continuous clamping ring as in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a section taken along the line 88 of FIG 7;

FIG. 9 is a similarly enlarged fragmentary part sectional view of another modified form of the invention somewhat similar to that of FIG. 7 but showing the force applying means relocated and with the clamping bar acting as a lever having a single fulcrum;

FIG. 10 is a section taken along the line 1010 of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing still another modified form of the invention wherein the locking mechanism coacts with integral ribs formed on the adjustment ring or nut.

While various specific forms of the invention have been shown and described herein as being especially advantageously applied to gyratory crushers of certain types, it

is not desired or intended to thereby unnecessarily limit the scope or utility of the improvement by reason of such specific embodiments; and it is furthermore contemplated that certain specific descriptive terminology used herein shall be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the disclosure.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 6 inclusive, the gyratory reduction crusher shown therein is of the type having the product size adjusting mechanism located above the concave and comprises, in general, an annular main frame terminating at its upper edge in an outwardly projecting flange 16 bounded by an inner conical surface 17; a concave supporting ring 18 having an outwardly directed flange 19 seated on the frame flange 16 and formed with a tapered surface 20 conforming to the conical frame surface 17, the ring 18 also being provided with a series of internal screw threads 21; an annular crusher bowl or concave 22 having a series of external screw threads 23 coacting with the screw threads 21 of the ring 18 and formed with a generally frusto conical inner portion 24 having a bowl liner 25 suitably secured thereto; .and a freely rotatable gyratory crushing head 26 carried by a depending angularly supported shaft (not shown) drivingly connected through suitable gears and a shaft 27 to a drive pulley 28 in a customary manner, the head 26 coacting with the concave liner 25 to provide a downwardly and outwardly flaring annular crushing chamber 29.

In this particular type of crusher, the ring 18 is normally held downwardly in seated condition against the stationary main frame flange 16 by an annular series of stud bolts 30 or the like each embraced by a compression spring 31, the upper ends of the stud bolts coacting with a radiating portion or portions 32 of the ring flange 19 through an adjusting nut 33 and the lower heads 34 of the bolts 30 coacting with an annular reaction ring 35 to compress the springs 31 between the floating ring 35 and another ring 36 which is fixed against relative displacement with respect to the frame 15. With such assemblage, whenever an 'uncr'ushable article such as a piece of metal or tightly packed rock is deposited within the chamber 29 during normal operation of the crusher, the springs 31 will be compressed sufliciently to allow the concave 22 to move away from the crushing head 26 sufliciently to permit the foreign object to escape without damaging crusher parts.

In order to permit adjustment of the concave'22 and its liner 25 relative to the head 26 so as to vary the size of the crushed product produced by the machine, and to eifect locking of the concave in adjusted position, several types of mechanism may be employed depending upon the style of crusher involved.

In a gyratory crusher such as depicted in FIG. 1, a sturdy upper ring member 38 which surrounds the feed hopper 39 and is fixed during normal operation may be connected with the concave 22 by a series of bolts 40 as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6. For adjustment of the concave 22 with the aid of an adjusting device of well-known construction, the nut 42 together with the ring 38 and concave 22 locked thereto by means of the bolts 40 are revolvable in either direction when the crusher is stopped and after the screw thread 23 of the concave 22 have been released from locking engagement with the screw threads 21 of the supporting ring 18. The adjusting device may consist of a ratchet or a worm coacting with teeth on the periphery of the ring member 38, and when this member is rotated in one direction, the concave 22 will be moved in one direction relative to the head 26, and vice-versa, but other forms of adjustment mechanisms may, of course, be used without departing from the invention.

However, after the concave 22 has been thus adjusted, it must be firmly held against possible rotation and in adjusted position in order to maintain the desired size of product, and the present invention relates primarily to improved means for positively locking the concave 22 in various positions of. adjustment. I

stroy the product size adjustment.

Such locking is effected in the crusher of FIG. 1 by means of a clamping ring 42 having external screw threads 43 coacting with the internal threads 21 of the ring 18 and which is adapted to coact with the concave 22 to firmly clamp the screw threads 23 against the screw threads 21, a series of hydraulic jacks 44, 44 interposed between the ring member 38 and the clamping ring 42, and a locking pin 45 cooperating with each of the hydraulic jacks for preventing release of the clamping ring 42 during normal operation of the crusher. The clamping ring 42 is penetrated by the bolts 40 so as to prevent rotation thereof relative to the ring member 38, but is slidable along these bolts, and this member may be either continuous as in FIGS. 3 and 4 or formed of an annular series of segments 38' as in FIGS. 5 and 6.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the hydraulic force applying devices 44 are in the nature of ordinary hydraulic jacks having their plungers connected to the ring member 38, while their cylinders are mounted upon the clamping ring 42, whereas in FIGS. 3 to 6 inclusive the force applying devices 44' are in the form of hydraulic rams having cylinders mounted upon the ring member 38, 38' with their plungers seated against the clamping ring 42. In each case, the several hydraulic jacks 44, 44 of each crusher are adapted to be simultaneously supplied with fluid through suitable control valves in order to draw the concave 22 upwardly into tight threaded engagement with the ring 18 after desired adjustment of the latter has been effected and to also simultaneously release the clamping pressure from within all of the jacks whenever an adjustment of the concave is to be made.

In case the hydraulic pressure in the jacks 44, 44' should drop during normal operation of the crusher, the clamping effect between the screw threads 21, 23 will ordinarily be released and the concave will be free to rotate relative to the ring member 38, 38' to thereby de- The positive locking pins, wedges or similar key elements 45 which should be driven home after each concave adjustment has been effected will, however, positively prevent such undesirable rotation of the concave 22, and in FIGS. 3 and 4, these locking pins 45 are interposed between the continuous clamping ring 42 and the continuous ring member 38,

while in FIGS. 5 and 6, these pin-s 45 are insertable between each segment of the modified ring member 38' and the continuous clamping ring 42.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 7 to 10 inclusive, the gyratory reduction crusher shown therein is of the type having the product size adjusting mechanism disposed below the concave and comprises, a main frame having an annular outer wall 47 provided with an outer tapered surface 48 and with an outwardly projecting ring 49; a concave supporting ring 50 vertically adjustable relative to the frame wall 47 and having an upper flange 51 and a series of external lower projections 52 and internal screw threads 53; an annular crushing concave 54 having a portion 55 seated upon the supporting ring flange 51 and an outwardly projecting annular flange 56, the concave 54 also being provided with a frustro conical liner 57 coacting with a gyratory crushing head 58 to produce an outwardly and downwardly flaring crushing chamber 59; a reaction ring 60 surrounding the crusher feed hopper 61 and connected by bolts 62 passing freely through the concave flange 56 and which are attached to the concave supporting ring 50; an annular series of compression springs 63 confined between the reaction ring 60 and the flange 56 by the bolts 62; a ratchet device 64 coacting with the supporting ring projections 52 to rotate the ring 50 for concave adjustment purposes; a locking wedge member 65 interposed between the frame wall 47 and the ring 50 and having an inner surface or surfaces 66 cooperable with the frame surface 48 and outer screw threads 67 coacting with the threads 53; a series of rods 68 slidable within the frame lugs 49 and coacting at their upper ends with the member 65 while their lower ends are cooperable with hydraulic jacks 69, 69'; and gyrating mechanism for the head 58 (not shown) but which is normally driven by a pulley or sheave 7 0 in a well known manner.

The concave supporting ring 50 is provided with an annular apron 72 which is slidably cooperable with the frame wall 47, and while the concave portion 55 is normally held in contact with the flange 51 of the supporting ring 59 by the springs 63, these springs will permit the concave 54 to move away from the head 58 so as to permit uncrushable material or objects to escape from the crushing chamber 59 without damaging the machine. The bolts 62 may be adjusted so as to vary the tension of these springs 63 but variation in the size of the product produced by the crusher is obtainable only by releasing the locking wedge member 65 and by utilizing the ratchet device 64 to rotate and thus move the concave 54 and its supporting ring 50 relative to the head 58 and thereby vary the size of the crushing chamber 59.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the concave adjustment is effected with the aid of an annular series of hydraulic jacks 69, mounted upon the main frame of the crusher and the plungers of which coact with a continuous ring 74. The lower ends of the upright rods 68, the upper ends of which coact with the wedge member 65, carry adjusting jack screws 75 seated upon the ring 74, and liquid under pressure may be simultaneously admitted to or released from all of the hydraulic jacks 69 from a common source. When upward pressure is applied to the sectional expandable wedge member 65 by means of the jacks 69 the concave supporting ring 58 will be driven along the tapered frame surface 48 to cause the screw threads 67 thereof to clampingly engage the threads 53 of the supporting ring 50 thereby firmly holding the concave 54 in adjusted position as long as the hydraulic pressure is maintained in the jacks 69, and in order to prevent the wedge member 65 from being released in case this hydraulic pressure fails, one or more pins 76 or the like are introduced directly below the ring 74 and between this ring and upright lugs or columns 78 as shown in FIG. 2. These pins 76 positively lock the Wedge member 65 and the concave supporting ring 50 in adjusted position during normal crusher operation and they must be removed whenever product size adjustment is to be effected.

In the modified assemblage shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the same types of hydraulic jacks 69 and wedge members 65 and actuating rods 68 may be used, but the continuous ring 74 of FIG. 2, has been replaced by an annular series of levers 77 the mid-portion of each of which is engaged by the plunger of an adjacent hydraulic jack 69 while the opposite lever ends coact with the adjacent pins 68 through screw-jacks 75 for adjustment purposes. The base flange of the crusher frame wall 47 is provided with integral columns 78, and locking pins 79 are insertable between the tops of these columns and the lever 77 on opposite sides of each jack 69 in order to positively hold the wedge member 65 and the concave support 50 in adjusted position during normal operation of the crusher and whenever the hydraulic pressure is released or fails.

The further modified locking assemblage shown in FIGS. 9 and is somewhat similar to that of FIGS. 7 and 8 except that different types of hydraulic jacks 69' are utilized, and different levers 81 are also used. In this embodiment of the invention each of the annular series of levers 81 has its mid-portion pivotally mounted upon the upper end of a column 78 formed integral with the crusher frame while one end of the lever coacts with an;

adjacent wedge engaging rod 68 and its opopsite end coacts with a locking pin 79. A hydraulic jack 69' of the push type is mounted upon the under-side of the annular lug 49 formed integral with the frame wall 47, adjacent to each rod 68, and has its plunger in engagement with the corresponding lever 81 between its supporting column 78 and its locking pin 79. The jacks 69' may be supplied with liquid under pressure to swing the adjacent levers 81 clockwise as viewed in FIG. 9 to cause the corresponding rods 68 to drive the wedge members 65 into concave locking position, and the locking pins 79 may again be utilized to positively hold and lock the adjacent levers 81 in such position.

The perspective view of FIG. 11 discloses an improved positive locking mechanism as distinguished from the frictional locking means of FIGS. 1 to 10. In such positive locking device, one or more hydraulically activated locking members .coact directly with selected ones of an annular series of ribs 83 formed integral with the adjusting ring 42 of FIG. 1 or the lugs 52 of the ring 50 of the crusher shown in FIG. 2. In the positive locking assemblage of FIG. 11, a double acting hydraulic ram is fixedly mounted either directly upon the stationary main frame or on a supporting bracket 84 adjacent to the ribs 83 as shown in FIG. 1, and is provided with a movable plunger 85' connected to a wedge member 87 having a medial wedge coacting with a transverse angle slot 88 formed in a slide 89, the slide 89 being provided with an end recess 90 coacting with an adjacent rib 83. The member 87 is movable along a guideway 91 formed in the supporting base 86, and a locking pin 92 may be applied to the member 87 to positively hold it in effective locking position. With this assemblage the hydraulic ram 85' may be actuated to retract the slide 89 from the adjacent rib 83 so as to permit the adjusting ring 42 to be raised or lowered by rotating it with the aid of a ratchet mechanism or the like, so as to vary the size of the crushed product; and when the desired adjustment has been effected the ram 85' may be operated to bring the end recess 90 of the slide 89 into engagement with the nearest rib 83 in order to hold the ring 42 in adjusted position. The locking pin 92 may thereafter be applied to positively lock the parts in the desired position of adjustment, and this same locking mechanism may obviously be used with either the crusher of FIG. 1 or that of FIG. 2 to supplement the frictional locking devices heretofore described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 inclusive.

From the foregoing description of the construction and functioning of-the various modifications it will be apparent that the present invention in fact provides an improved gyratory crusher adjustment locking mechanism operable by hydarulic jacks or rams, and which positively locked against possible release of the adjusting devices during normal operation. In all of the modifications, the initial adjustment and locking of the crushing members is effected with the aid of fluid pressure after the force transmitting elements have been uniformly adjusted as by the jack screws 75 (FIG. 2) or the lock nuts 95 (FIG. 1), the members are thereafter positively held in adjusted condition with the aid of mechanical locking means. Accordingly, fluid pressure may be entirely released after the mechanical locking means have been properly positioned and the adjustment will be positively maintained, or in the event of fluid pressure failure, the mechanical locking means will still be effective. While the locking or holding keys have been shown as in the form of pins, they may obviously be of various shapes, and although these keys have been illustrated and described as being manually positioned, this positioning operation may be performed with the aid of fluid pressure or by mechanical means.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.

I claim:

1. In a gyratory crusher, a frame, a crusher head gyratable within said frame, a crusher concave mounted on said frame coaxially thereof and cooperating with said head to form an intervening crushing chamber, means for adjusting said concave relative to said head to vary the size of the product delivered from said chamber, fluid pressure actuated means extensible in a direction parallel to the axis of said concave and cooperating therewith for imposing a clamping action on said adjusting means to thereby lock said concave in its adjusted positions, and other means also co-operable with said concave for independently positively maintaining the clamping action imposed on said adjusting means by said fluid pressure actuated means.

2. A gyratory crusher according to claim 1, wherein the fluid pressure actuator for the concave locking means is a hydraulic force applying device.

3. A gyratory crusher according to claim 1, wherein the fluid pressure actuator applies its clamping action through a segmental plate reacting against the concave adjustment means.

4. A gyratory crusher according to claim 3, wherein the means for maintaining the clamping action also applies its holding force to said segmental plate.

5. A gyratory crusher according to claim 3, wherein the segmental plate is coupled to the concave adjustment means by a force transmitting element.

6. A gyratory crusher according to claim 1, wherein the fluid pressure actuator applies its locking force through a lever reacting against the concave adjustment means.

7. A gyratory crusher according to claim 6, wherein the lock holding means also applies its holding force through said lever.

8. A gyratory crusher according to claim 1, wherein the fluid pressure actuator applies its clamping action through a wedge member coacting with the concave adjustment means.

9. A gyratory crusher according to claim 8, wherein the means for maintaining the clamping action also applies its holding force through said wedge member.

10. In a gyratory crusher, a frame, a crusher head gyratable within said frame, an annular crusher concave mounted on said frame and cooperating with said head to form an intervening crushing chamber, means for adjusting said concave axially relative to said head to vary the size of the product delivered from said chamber, and means for locking said concave in its adjusted positions, said concave locking means including a hydraulic extensible in a direction common to the axis of said concave actuator for imposing an initial clamping action on said adjusting means, and mechanical means for thereafter positively independently maintaining the clamping action imposed on said adjusting means by said hydraulic actuator.

11. A gyratory crusher according to claim 10, wherein the hydraulic actuator is a push type jack.

12. A gyratory crusher according to claim 10, wherein the hydraulic actuator is a pull type jack.

13. A gyratory crusher according to claim 10, wherein the concave locking means additionally includes a member reacting against the concave adjustment means and coacting with the hydraulic actuator and the mechanical means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,359,987 10/49 Gruender 241286 2,555,064 5/51 Stevens et al 24l-286 2,679,984 6/54 Gruender 214-290 2,687,257 8/54 Rumpel 2412l5 J. SPENCER OVERI-IOLSER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A GYRATORY CRUSHER, A FRAME, A CRUSHER HEAD GYRATABLE WITHIN SAID FRAME, A CRUSHER CONCAVE MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME COAXIALLY THEREOF AND COOPERATING WITH SAID HEAD TO FORM AN INTERVENING CRUSHING CHAMBER, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING SAID CONCAVE RELATIVE TO SAID HEAD TO VARY THE SIZE OF THE PRODUCT DELIVERED FROM SAID CHAMBER, FLUID PRESSURE ACTUATED MEANS EXTENSIBLE IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID CONCAVE AND COOPERATING THEREWITH FOR IMPOSING A CLAMPING ACTION ON SAID ADJUSTING MEANS TO THEREBY LOCK SAID CONCAVE IN ITS ADJUSTED POSITIONS, AND 